The present invention relates generally to devices for facilitating the observation of underwater objects by a person above the water and, more specifically, to such a device that supports the person's body in a prone position while observing.
Glare or light reflecting off the surface of a body of water prevents effective viewing of underwater objects from a position above the water. Viewing tubes or boxes, which have an opening near the observer's face and a transparent window below the surface of the water, have long been used to overcome the problem of glare. Examples of such devices are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,343,473, issued to Pierson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,730,921, issued to Little, U.S. Pat. No. 2,911,878, issued to Vernier, and German Patent No. 2537436. Ideally, such devices would block all light except that which is reflected from underwater objects from reaching the observer's eyes.
Practitioners in the art have included underwater viewing tubes in buoyant rafts or boards to enable a person to look underwater while lying in a prone position. Such devices have a viewing tube extending through the board that is closed at the lower end with a watertight transparent window. U.S. Pat. No. 2,717,399, issued to Backhouse, U.S. Pat. No. 3,081,726, issued to Betts et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,658, issued to New et al., French No. 883,317, issued to LePrieur, French No. 1,254,432, issued to Dudouyt, and Japanese No. 62-221991, disclose examples of such devices.
Underwater viewing boards known in the art are uneconomical to manufacture. The viewing tube commonly includes four sidewalls that are fastened together. Sealant may be used to prevent water form leaking into the tube. Underwater viewing boards known in the art also allow stray light to leak into the tube between the observer's face and the edges of the tube. Moreover, it is often uncomfortable for an observer to maintain his face in contact with the ends of such tubes. These problems and deficiencies are clearly felt in the art and are solved by the present invention in the manner described below.